10 Lessons Learned From UFC Fight Night: Mousasi vs. Souza

8. It's Another Bad Year For The Injury Bug

This point is especially true if you count illness. After slightly rebounding in 2013 from one of the worst years in UFC history for injuries and cancelled fights in 2012, 2014 has been atrocious. It really kicked off at the end of 2013, with Anderson Silva's horrific leg break, and marched right along with injuries to Johny Hendricks, Jose Aldo, Renan Barao, Alexander Gustafsson, Jon Jones, and many, many other fighters. What can be done about it? For starters, ensure that fighters do not over-train, which is admittedly easier said than done. Second, ensure there are open lines of communication - and rather than lose fights last minute, reschedule them as soon as you know a fighter is ill, as with the Oliveira case. It gives the remaining fighter more notice to take on and prepare for a new opponent, after all.